Good First Book

I plan to design and build a boat (see "boatpacking"), but I would like to take my time and learn something along the way. Do any of you know of a good book to start in learning the basics of boat design? I would like to learn about how hull design affects performance. I want to know both the cause and effects of different designs. Any suggestions??

Thanks

Dan

 

Larsson & Eliasson: "Principles of Yacht Design"

 

"The Nature of Boats", Dave Gerr.

 

And since you also want to build your design, you'll need to know about the scantlings. Dave Gerrs "The Elements of Boat Strength" will be of help here.

 

Pretty fancy for a complete beginner, IMHO.

John Teale's How To Design a Boat.

 

Yeah, but I don't think there's any better book to read if you, like Dan, want to learn about how hull design affects performance.
I don't know Teale's book, so I can't comment on that, but there's another book for the beginner, namely Ben Smith: "Design Your Own Yacht".
And Tim Thornton has written two books, "The Small Offshore Yacht" and "The Offshore Yacht", that are without any math at all.

 

What if you don't want to design a yacht, just a fishing boat <= 20' or so?

 

I would like to learn the math, and, as with mrbrown, I have no desire to build a yacht.

I'm decent with math and am a patient reader, so a difficult book does not scare me away. I'd just like to learn the concepts that go into performance, stability, strenght, et cetera. In the end I would like to design a pontoon boat for extended "camping" trips.

Is "Principles of Yacht Design" complete enough that I could slowly work my way through it? In other words, are terms - even those that seem simple to all of you - adequately defined? Even though it uses the designing and building of 40ft yacht, are the principles involved described in such a manner that I could apply them to boat designing in general? For example, will I be able to work through hull shape, weight, placement of storage, et cetera?

Dan

Dan

 

I think "Principles..." would be right for you (too!)

 

dkubiak,

I just ordered "Designing for Power and Sail" by Arthur Edmunds. I will let you know what I think about it when I get it.

I, like you, am a beginner so I will look for any ambiguous terms, and see if the methods are easily adapted to design in general.

mrbrown

 

mrbrown,

That book does look really good (I checked it on Amazon), and I might just order it myself. I also want "Principles...", but this one by Edmunds seems like a good introduction to a more technical book.

Dan

 

I own both books. Edmunds books is simpler, but in a sense it is more complete since it has enough rules of thumb to approach a scantling rule. This would be for fiberglass or metal construction. It does not have that material for plywood. It's at about the technical level of 1 year of college physics and 1 year of college calculus. Mostly, the methods given are the same as would have been used 50 years ago. I found that the value of the book was greatly reduced by a large number of errors in layout and editing.

"Principles" is technically deeper and more contemporary. For example, some wave mechanics are used for analysis of keels. I'm not too sure how much practical value there is in that. The engineering of structures is mostly assumed (as I best I recall without the book in front of me), and you might need a separate guide to scantlings. I would guess you might want a degree in a technical subject (math, physics, engineering) as background.

Teale, which I suggested above, is even simpler than Edmunds. It's orderly and accessible. There are tables to help work out scantlings, but they are very simplified. He really doesn't imagine anyone is going to build much more than a 15' boat without any other guidence.

The other common reference is Skene's Elements. I have not seen the lastest version, which I guess is a substantial re-write. I understand that Tom MacNaughton doesn't like it. I have an earlier edition. The approach to design has a lot in common with Edmunds', but the book is much better. You can get used copies easily through the used book services on the web.

 

To Mr Brown's question:

"What if you don't want to design a yacht, just a fishing boat <= 20' or so?"

I reply with:

"Bailey, Frank .Small Boat Design for Beginners . .Reed .London . 1980 . Paperback .87 pages .Octavo. Very Good condition. Contains b/w diagrams. Provides basic information for the design beginner or for those who wish to understand the marine dynamics of their small boat. . .Nautical [To order this item without using the shopping cart please quote ID #189911], AU$10.00"

found at:

http://www.adelaidebooksellers.com.au/webcurrentlist/nautical.htm

 

I hope the Edmunds book will have enough information for me to extrapolate the basics of the design process and stability calculations.

I have taken Calculus I, II, and III, along with Differential Equations. I have also taken Engineering Physics I and II, Statics, Dynamics, Strength of Materials, Structural Analysis, Fluid Mechanics and a plethora of other classes. I will be graduating with my engineering degree soon.

 

To all,

And you all look for that one book with all the wisdom. Fools, you are.
Naval architecture is a 4 year education, and we're not slow readers.
Look around, try more books, explore the WWW, talk to people, but don't try to find the one book!

(Personally I like the "Principals....", but have some more suggestions:
Chapelle - Yacht designing & planning
Steward - Boat building manual
Maybe old, and about yachts, but the principal is the same on construction, stability, weight calculations/distribution, design spiral etc.)

Regards,

Peter